Stupid dog, Stupid ball
by EightRedRoses
Summary: A HMDSCute story. Rating was changed to T because I kind of have a little random outburts of minor swearing. Will definately be a Graire story, with implied other pairings.
1. Stupid Ball

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Harvest Moon, dang it. But if I did, oh the money I would have! Also, if you don't get this fic, I'm sorry in advance. :D**

* * *

I tapped my foot and sighed in frustration while pulling on my golden blonde locks. "Come on, Rizo! Just fetch the stupid ball!"

The small floppy-eared beagle simply stared at me and yawned. I snorted, picking up the cream-colored round object and throwing it over the lazy puppy's head.

"Fetch, Rizo! Come on! We just started playing..." I sighed, running my hand down my face. "Okay, Rizo, we'll play your little game for now...but when I get back after finishing all of my chores, you better fetch that ball!" I shouted, slightly shaking my fist at my beagle.

He yawned at me and curled up next to my calendar. I opened my door quickly, and almost crashed into the sturdy chest of the carpenter from Mineral Town.

"A-ah! I'm so sorry, Mr. Gotz!" I apologized, my bright aqua eyes widening.

He simply nodded at me, "I'm here to build the livestock barn that you wanted. Tell me where to put it."

"O-oh, right. Um, I would like it over here by my grass field." I pointed out, taking Gotz to the large area I had prepared for the stone barn.

"It should take me about three days to finish." He stated, heading off to start construction.

"Thank you!" I shouted at the large man as I headed to my chicken coop to feed my two chickens.

I sighed at the immense heat radiating from the coop as I opened the door. The coop was always either insanely hot, or unbelievably freezing. I walked over to my newest full-grown chicken, Pudding, and picked her up gently.

"I think I'll let you girls outside today. It's a really nice summer day." I stated, cuddling Pudding and taking her out to the little fenced in area I had set aside for a pond later, but for now it was where I let my chickens run free.

Pudding clucked happily as I set her down on the cool ground. I couldn't help but smile at my happy little chicken. I skipped back to the coop and my other chicken, Rice, jumped into my arms.

I giggled at the excited cluck the older chicken gave me as I took her out to the fenced area. I set her down and headed back to the coop to collect the eggs I knew were there. I picked both eggs up and put them in the shipping bin.

"Okay...that takes care of the chickens...now I should take care of my crops." I nodded to myself, heading over to my stalks of corn. _It's kind of sad that the only crop I've been able to successfully grow...is corn._ I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

I walked over to the stalks of corn and got out my watering can. _Shoot, I forgot to fill it with water!_ I hurried over to the little watering hole and filled the watering can almost full. I knew for a fact that I couldn't carry the watering can if it was completely full, and I also knew I didn't need to fill it all the way to water my corn.

Today was...wait, what day _**was**_ it? I shook my head and started watering my corn. It obviously hadn't been fifteen days since I planted my corn, so it wasn't the fourteenth, but it had to be close because the corn looked like it would bloom soon.

I finished watering the thirsty plants and put my watering can away in my medium-sized rucksack. I glanced over at the hardworking carpenter and looked through my rucksack, finding a loaf of bread. _Well...he __**is**__ working extremely hard in all of this heat..._ I gave up as I stood and walked over to the sweating carpenter.

"Um...Mr. Gotz? Here's some bread if you get hungry while you're out here." I held the bread out and the muscular man stood, wiping his forehead.

"Hahaha! Why, thanks, little lady!" He laughed heartily.

"Heh, no problem. It's the least I could do for making you work in the heat like this." I scratched the back of my head. "Well, see you later. I'm going into town for a bit." I waved and ran toward the entrance to my farm.

Okay, let me explain something. You may think that I have a little crush on the husky carpenter from Mineral Town, but hear me out for a second. I don't have a crush on Mr. Gotz, but I do have a bit of an interest in a certain blacksmith that comes into town every Thursday. I suppose I just have a soft spot for grumpy people. I find it really sweet when they get all fussy about something really trivial. I'd heard that the blacksmith had gotten really mad because someone didn't say they were sorry when they almost ran into him. I started fantasizing about the situation when Ann had told me, and she had to practically shake me to get me back into reality.

"Oh! I still don't know what day it is!" I crossed my arms and sighed, about to head back to my farm. Before I could turn around, the very object of my fantasies was walking past me and heading to the mines. _Thursday the tenth of summer._ I thought instantly, gawking at the blacksmith.

"What are you staring at?" He growled, his hand instantly pulling his hat down over his eyes and...Was that a blush creeping up on his face?

"I'm sorry..." I looked away from the blushing man as a blush started to creep up on my own face. I don't know why, but as soon as I looked away, I started smiling at how he'd growled at me.

"Why are you smiling?" He growled once again, his hat moving even lower.

"I'm so sorry. I really am, but I just can't seem to help it when someone...well, anyways, sorry." I bowed, my blonde hair falling in my face.

"Gray..." He stated, looking away from me.

"Excuse me?" I blinked, raising an eyebrow at the blacksmith.

"My name..." He mumbled.

"Oh! It's nice to meet you, Gray. My name is Claire." I smiled at Gray.

Okay, pause for another second. I know what you're thinking, "You didn't even know his name yet?! It's SUMMER, woman! SUMMER!!!!!" Well, I'd never really approached him before today. I would usually just see him walk out of the Inn, or into the Inn, and sometimes I saw him in the mines. But, riddle me this, you crazed fangirls out there, what do you think would have happened if I had gone up to him on the second Thursday of the year and rambled on and on about how dreamy he was? I think it would have been something like this, "Hi I'm –" "I don't care..." How did that sound to you? 'Cause I really didn't like it. So, nuts to all of you people who would have scared him away with your persistence. Nuts, I say!

"So, I'll see you later, Gray. I have some errands to run." I waved, leaving the blacksmith to think. As I had expected, he shook his head and walked in the opposite direction, heading for the mines.

"Claire! Can you please help me over here?" Celia called from the bridge.

I quickly turned around, "Oh! Of course! I'd love to help you, Celia!" I slightly jogged toward the bridge, crossing it and stepping onto Vesta's large farm. "What do you need help with?"

"Well, you see, we're getting our watering can upgraded, so I was wondering if you could help us water the crops?" Celia clasped her hands together and gave me her best pout.

"Well, mine hasn't ever been upgraded...so it would take forever...but I can't say no to that face." I sighed in defeat.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you, Claire!" Celia jumped up and down.

As Celia hugged me nearly to death, I noticed someone walk out of Vesta's house and strained my eyes to see who it was.

"Celia? Air? Please?" I managed to cough out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Claire!" Celia squeaked as she released me and jumped back a foot or so.

The person who walked out of Vesta's house walked past us and I realized who it was; it was Gray! How very strange for him to be here on Vesta's farm! He walked past and didn't seem to notice when he dropped something. It looked like a brooch or something.

I walked up to the small trinket and picked it up. "I should probably give this back to him. It could be something really important! But, it'll have to wait until after we water these crops..." I whispered, putting the small item into my overall pocket. "Okay, let's get to work on those crops!"

Celia squealed happily and ran off to tell Vesta and Marlin about my selflessness. I sighed and shook my head. Sometimes Celia was a nice, calm girl, but others times, when she got really excited she could be a bit of a handful. I felt a little sorry for Marlin at first, but now I can see her happy attitude could be good for him.

I took out my watering can and filled it in the river, filling it almost all the way. I decided against watering Vesta's crops like I did my own because, well, Vesta might eat me if I did it wrong. I sat by the river, splashing my hand in it for a little while until I heard Celia and the others exit Vesta's house.

"Claire! It's so nice of you to help us even though you have crops of your own! We'll have to share some of these with you once they ripen!" Vesta laughed.

"Oh, no, that's okay. You don't have to give me anything. I'm just glad to help you in your time of need." I smiled at the older woman.

"Well, we'll decide that later! Let's get to work!" She beamed.

_I can't forget about this brooch...I wonder why Gray made it, anyway. I mean, I don't think he was planning on giving it to anyone here. But, then again, I've never really seen him while he talked with the other villagers...actually, come to think of it...I don't even know if he __**does**__ talk to the other villagers..._ I sighed slightly and wiped my forehead with my arm. It was a hot summer day, after all!

"Okay, Claire, our work is done!" Vesta announced as she stood up and put her hands on her hips.

"Whew, that's good. I thought it would never end!" Celia exclaimed, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

"Hm..." Marlin grunted less than enthusiastically.

"Well, I'll see you guys later! I've got something I have to do!" I shouted, running toward the mines.

I rushed into the mining area and looked around. Outside of the mine was abandoned, so I heaved a sigh and headed for the actual mines. I'll tell you, though; the mines weren't always my favorite place to go. It was always really dark, and sometimes it was damp inside, too.

"Um, excuse me?" I peeked into the mine, looking around rather shyly.

"Oh, Claire, have you come to help us out?" Carter asked, looking up at me from the spot he had been digging.

"Well, actually, Carter, I was hoping I'd find Gray in here." I stated, walking into the mine, looking around some more.

"Oh, he left half an hour ago. He said he might have lost something, so he went to go check." Flora stated, tapping her chin as she tried to remember.

"Oh, well thank you anyway." I bowed, leaving the mines in search for the blacksmith.

As I walked out of the mines I sighed deeply. _I must have just missed him, then...I must be blind or something..._ I shook my head at myself. I started walking toward Vesta's farm, hoping Gray would still be there by the time I got there.

"Oh, Claire! You're back!" Celia waved happily.

"Celia...please tell me Gray is still here somewhere." I pleaded, clasping my hands together and practically begging her.

"I'm sorry, Claire. He was here, but then he left in a hurry. I think he said something about going back to the Inn." She tilted her head. "But, Claire....why are you looking for him?"

"Well, I saw him earlier, and it looked like he dropped something, so I picked it up and now I'm trying to get it back to him." I subconsciously started twirling my hair with my fingers.

"Well, you better hurry, then! Before he locks his door, or goes home!" She blurted, pushing me, lightly mind you, toward the Inn.

"Of course! See you tomorrow, Celia!" I waved, running toward the Inn.

"Oh, hello there, Claire, dear. Are you looking for someone?" Ruby asked as I burst through the Inn door.

"Is...Gray...here?" I huffed, looking around.

"He went upstairs, I think." She looked toward the stairs. "You know where the guest rooms are, right?"

I nodded and headed for the stairs, walking up them quickly at first, but slowly toward the top. You never know when Rock could burst out of his room and rush down the stairs, knocking you over in the process.

I took a deep breath and knocked on the guest room designated for male visitors.

"What is it?!" Gray snarled, sounding like he was trashing the room.

"Gray? It's Claire. Can I come in?" I asked, a little afraid that he might come out and beat me with a shovel or something.

I heard a frustrated growl and then the jiggling of the doorknob. Gray slowly opened the door and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"What do you want?"

"Well, I think I might know how to make you feel a lot better." I stated, shoving my hand in my pocket.

He slightly glared at me, but raised his eyebrow in curiosity.

"I'd ask you to close your eyes and hold out your hands, but I'll just give it to you without that." I laughed a little and pulled the silver and sapphire brooch out of my pocket, holding it out for him.

"W-where did you find this?!" He shouted, snatching the brooch from my hands and glaring at me.

"I saw you drop it, but before I could give it to you, you ran off to the mines." I smiled softly at him. "I ran all over the town looking for you." I waggled my finger at him and crossed my arms over my chest. "Let me tell you; you're a tough person to find."

He pulled his hat down over his eyes, "Thanks....and sorry..." He mumbled it, but I knew he really meant it.

"Anytime. But, since it's almost time for the Inn to close, I've got to head home. So, I'll see you later." I waved, turning around to leave.

"Call me...you know, if you need your tools upgraded or anything..." He slightly called out. I didn't even have to look at him to know he was bright red, and probably beating himself up mentally.

"I will. Maybe sooner than you think..." I shouted the first part, but whispered the second part and laughed softly to myself.

I exited the Inn and headed straight home. Opening my front door I noticed my black cat, Key, and my beagle, Rizo, lying on my bed.

I sighed and took off my overalls and my tank-top, grabbing my over-sized sleeping shirt and some clean undergarments. I sighed, changing quickly and making a mental note that I really needed a bath or a shower, but I was just too tired to take either right now.

As I walked toward my bed I stepped on something and almost twisted my ankle.

"What the...? Ugh! Stupid ball!" I shouted, throwing the ball across the room.

Rizo looked up from the bed and jumped off, running after the ball playfully. He picked it up and ran back to me, dropping the ball at my feet.

"Oh sure..._**NOW**_ you want to play!" I smacked my forehead with my hand and sighed, getting into my bed and turning the lights off. "Well, too bad!"

Rizo just looked up at me with his big puppy eyes. I simply huffed and turned over so I wasn't facing him. I was too tired to play fetch now, and tomorrow would be the same. He could just wait until Saturday. Stupid dog and his stupid ball.

* * *

**Well, yeah. Hahaha, sorry if this doesn't make any sense to you. I'm also sorry if there wasn't enough Graire in it. It actually wasn't even going to be a Graire fanfic at all! So, be glad I decided to put a little love in there. So, anyways, I'm sorry it's been FOREVER since my last fanfic, but I have ADHD, so I was off in La la land. So, as always, review and tell me how I can do better! :D Thank you!**


	2. Ann's Plan

**Disclaimer: Still not the owner of Harvest Moon. But, anyways, I'd like to tell you that Claire didn't forget to put her chickens inside, she put them back in the coop before she walked inside her house. :D Ahahahahah...I'm stupid for leaving that little thing out, but you know what, it's okay. Oh! And thank you to the people who reviewed the first part! I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH! :D**

**Friday Summer 11 Claire's P.O.V.**

I groaned as a slobbery, wet tongue licked my ear, telling me it was six in the morning. This ungodly hour was when I was always awoken by that devilish puppy, Rizo. He just wouldn't let me sleep if it meant he could eat now by waking me up.

"Just five more hours, Rizzzzzzzzz..." I trailed off, falling asleep again. I was never the kind of person to wake up at my first attempt. It usually took Rizo ten attempts to wake me up.

Before the conniving beagle could even so much as look at me again, someone had started banging on my front door. My poor door sounded like it was going to break from the amount of excitement, or fear, that someone was trying to display to my sleeping form.

"Claire! You wake up before I break your door!" A familiar voice shouted through my door.

"Okay, okay...I'm getting up." I let out a frustrated sigh as I got out of my bed and walked over to my front door, not caring that my sleeping clothes were far from "decent".

I turned the knob and was almost instantly tackled to the ground by an extremely excited redhead girl in overalls. I should have been used to her rough hugs, and how early she showed up at my farm, but gosh dang it I was a human being.

"Claire! My brother came home muttering to himself about saying something stupid! Did he say something rude to you? 'Cause if he did, I'll kick his sorry blacksmith ass into next year!" Ann shouted in my ear, shaking me violently to show that she meant business.

"Ann!" I shouted, grabbing the redhead's shoulders to stop her from making me queasy. She stopped almost instantly, giving me a sheepish grin.

"Heheh, sorry, Claire. But, seriously, what the hell did he say that made him storm up to his room and lock the door?!" She gave me her best pouty face in attempts to get me to spill a big secret, or something like that.

"Ann...I can promise you that it was nothing. He just reminded me that I could call him at the Blacksmith shop to get my tools upgraded. It wasn't stupid at all." I explained, crossing my arms over my chest and shaking my head at the redhead.

"Aw man! I thought it would have been better blackmail than that!" She sighed.

I raised my eyebrow at the waitress, but then shrugged and got up. "You want to decide what I should wear today?" I inquired, knowing all too well what Ann's answer would be.

"You know I do!" She beamed, going over to my clothing chest and rummaging around for her favorite of my overalls. After a few moments of muttering and sighing, Ann finally turned back to me with my dark blue overalls. "Now I just have to find you a suitable shirt!"

I took the dark blue overalls from my best friend's hands and waited for her to find my light blue short sleeve shirt. In a few moments, she did just that. She found my light blue shirt, which was also thin and very comfortable to work in during the summer heat.

"Ta da! Okay, now get dressed! I'll go ahead and start weeding!" Ann chirped, a lot more cheerful than when she'd first arrived.

I'm sorry, but I feel another explanation coming on...So, I bet you're wondering, "Why, Claire, is Ann so eager to weed your field? What could she possibly accomplish by doing so?" Well, to tell you the truth, I have no idea. About two weeks ago when Ann and I were having a nice picnic with the food she brought from her father's Inn back in Mineral town, she randomly decided that she would help me weed my field on Fridays because it was her duty as my best friend to keep me healthy or something strange like that. Okay, I appreciate the thought, I really do, but do you have any idea how frustrating it can be having her always talking about how much better my life would be if I moved to Mineral town? Okay, it sounds like a nice place, it really does, but I can't just ditch everyone here to move over there! I love my friends here in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and I'm always excited when one my Mineral town friends comes to visit, but I wouldn't go so far as to abandon this farm and the Harvest Sprites that I've yet to save. Sometimes I wonder what she's thinking...

I quickly got dressed, brushing my golden tresses and fed Rizo and Key, making sure to pet them both lovingly before I stepped outside. I looked up and noticed the white fluffy clouds overhead.

"Hey, Claire! I didn't know you were getting Gotz to build you a barn!" Ann shouted, waving me over to the patch of weeds she had been working on.

"Yeah, I just ordered it on Wednesday, so it'll be done by Monday, hopefully." I shrugged, not really worried about it getting finished soon. I didn't have an extreme need for a cow or a sheep just yet.

"At least it's nice and cool today, unlike yesterday." Ann commented, pulling a weed up. "So, Claire, you should take care of your chickens and corn, and then we can...talk."

I rolled my eyes, "Alright, alright. I'll tell you my dirty little secrets after work."

She smirked at me and got back to pulling weeds. I sighed and walked into my chicken coop. Pudding and Rice waddled up to me and clucked happily. I smiled down at the hens and shook my head a little. They slightly huffed, but understood that there was a good reason for being cooped inside.

"Sorry, girls, but Ann is here and she's probably going to end up talking to me until midnight again. So, I'll make it up to you somehow." I picked each hen up and cuddled them.

Each gave me an affectionate nuzzle with their beaks and then waited over by their feed boxes. I laughed a little and got out their feed, putting some in each box.

"Time to water the corn and then listen to the ham." I sighed, walking out of the chicken coop and walking over to my little corn garden. _I wonder how she'll try to persuade me this week..._

"Hey, Claire, hurry up and water your corn! If you take too long, I might just have to do something drastic." Ann grinned, waving a weed at me.

I ran my pale fingers through my hair and shook my head. "I swear, Ann, sometimes you make me think of that one saying...you know, 'With a friend like you, who needs an enemy' or however it goes."

I instantly tuned out the redhead as I filled up my watering can almost full and began watering my precious corn. _Maybe after I get an oven I can...oh, listen to yourself, Claire! You're already trying to make his favorite food to see if he'll like you more! You idiot!_ I sighed, gazing at the stalk of corn in front of me and shaking my head.

"Cla...Clai....aire...Claire?" Ann's voice finally reached my ears.

"What? Oh, I'm sorry, Ann...I guess I kind of spaced..." I gave her a sheepish grin and scratched the back of my head.

She gave me a skeptical look, but then waved it off as unimportant. I finished watering my corn and helped Ann pull one of the really difficult weeds.

"Oh, Ann, I almost forgot! I was going to call the blacksmith to get my watering can upgraded to silver!" I exclaimed, shaking Ann slightly to get her attention.

"You need to call Gray, eh?" She gave me a playful smirk and rushed into my house.

"Ann! No, don't call him! You'll just embarrass him!" I yelped, sprinting toward my house.

"Hello, Saibara's blacksmith." I heard the familiar voice from the other side of the phone as Ann snickered and held the phone out for me. "Hello?"

"Oh, uh, hi, Gray." I managed to say as I twisted the phone cord nervously.

"Oh, it's you, Claire..." Gray mumbled, and I swear I _**heard**_ him pull his hat over his eyes.

"Yeah, so, um, I was calling because I was wondering if you would possibly upgrade my watering can to silver...maybe..." I felt my cheeks heat up as the words fell from my mouth.

"Goddess, Claire, stop being so **forward**!" Ann sniggered, snorting as she tried to hold in her laughs.

"A-Ann?!" Gray shouted through the phone.

"Uh...a-anyways, can I send my watering can with Ann so you can upgrade it?" I started twirling a loose strand of hair, releasing the phone cord.

"S-sure. It'll be done in two days, and it'll cost two thousand gold." He stated, regaining his usual grumpy-like composure.

"Thanks, Gray! Um, bye!" I tittered, hanging up the phone. I placed my hand over my heart and heaved a sigh. "Goddess, Ann! You ended up embarrassing me more than Gray!"

"Anyways, let's talk, shall we?" Ann stated, changing the subject completely.

"Fine...What do you want?" I pouted, crossing my arms over my chest like a child.

"Well, Clarisse," She began, and I snorted at her, "I'd like to make a proposal."

I raised my eyebrow at my best friend, "What kind of proposal?"

"I know you like living here, and I know you don't want to move to Mineral town, but...I want you to spend a day in Mineral town to see what it's like."

"What? No! I have too much work here to even consider taking a day off!" I put my arms in an X form and shook my head.

"Hold on, hold on. It'll just be one day, and I'm sure one of your friends from here will be willing to take care of your farm while you're away! But, I was thinking it would be a Friday thing. I could come here and pick you up early in the morning, and we could walk together to Mineral town. We could spend the whole day looking around the town and then you could decide if you liked it or not!" She smiled wider with every sentence.

_Okay...it would most likely be a Friday and part of Saturday morning...so I'd have to get someone who would be willing to water my corn...and I can get the harvest sprites to take care of my chickens...Goddess...Ann actually made a decent argument._ "Well, if it'll get you off of my back for a while...I guess I'll go..."

"Yes! I bet you'll love it in Mineral town!" Ann beamed, tackling me to the ground.

"Sure I will..." I rolled my eyes, but couldn't stop the corners of my mouth from curving up into a smile.

For the rest of the day, Ann and I wandered around looking for grasses, flowers, and grapes I could sell to get a little more spending money for the trip next week. Ann babbled on and on about how she wouldn't tell anyone and it would be a surprise for the day after her birthday and that's when she wanted to have a little party with all of the Mineral town girls at the Inn. I just nodded and continued to listen to her plans, hoping that I wasn't making a mistake by agreeing to her proposal. Oh well, right? I mean, what's done is done.

Later I went back home and walked inside my house, noticing a small beagle and a small rubber ball.

"Goddess...okay, Rizo, we'll play for a little while...but then I've got to get some sleep." I sighed, taking the ball from Rizo's mouth and tossing it over his head.

Rizo and I played fetch for about ten minutes before he refused to even look at the ball anymore. I quickly got into my sleepwear and hopped into my bed, making sure I didn't disturb Key as I got under the covers. I had a lot to think about, but I still managed to fall asleep. Who knows what next week will hold? I just hope I don't embarrass myself in front of the people I've never met.

* * *

**Whoop...That was extremely difficult to write. I mean, I had the idea in my head, and it was as clear as filtered water, but I just couldn't find words for all of it. So, anyways, the next chapter will be the trip to Mineral town. I hope you liked this part, and tell me how I did!**

* * *


	3. The New Housewife?

**Disclaimer: You should know by now that I don't own Harvest Moon, but whatever. :3 Thank you to all of my reviewers! I'm sorry this took a little while! I've kinda decided that six days is a good time span for new chapters. :D So, if you don't like it, I'm very sorry. **

**But, now, what you've all (probably) been waiting for: Claire's trip to Mineral Town! Dun Dun DUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNN!

* * *

**I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the clock I'd purchased last week. "Five o' clock, huh?" I yawned and got out of bed, ready to take care of everything today before I left with Ann to go to Mineral town.

I slid out of bed, walking over to Key and Rizo's food dishes. "Rizo, Key, breakfast!" I called out, putting a fish in Key's dish, and a rice ball, Rizo's favorite, in his bowl.

Each looked up at me lazily, and then went back to sleep. I sighed at them and shook my head, but got dressed nonetheless and went outside.

"Okay...I have some corn to harvest, and I should take care of Rice and Pudding...then all Celia has to worry about is watering the corn." I mumbled to myself as I walked toward my chicken coop.

Pudding and Rice hopped over toward me, eagerly awaiting their daily hugs and, of course, food. I quickly picked each hen up and nuzzled them affectionately before placing feed in each of their boxes and hurrying outside.

"Claire! Are you ready to go!?" Ann shouted, waving me over to her.

"Not yet! Help me harvest my corn first!" I ran toward the stalks of corn and gently started harvesting.

"Are you gonna ship all of the corn?" Ann inquired, harvesting from a different group of corn stalks.

"Well, I was planning on saving some to take with us for the long hike to Mineral town...why do you ask?"

"Gray loves baked corn." She simply stated, her back facing me as she harvested the last ear of corn.

I felt a blush creep onto my face as I turned around. _How could I forget!? Goddess! I mean, it's not like I'd ever actually get a chance to make it for him, but I always hoped one day I could...Gah! Stupid Ann!_ I covered my face with my hands, trying to prevent Ann from seeing how flushed I was.

"Enough joking around, though, it's time to go!" Ann enthused, grabbing my basket and dumping two-thirds of the harvest into my shipping box.

"Okay, okay, we'll leave now." I picked up my rucksack and put the rest of the corn into it. Sighing, I threw the pack over my shoulder and walked out of my farmland and into the town.

Ann and I walked down the path and waved at Celia as she passed by us.

"Just water the corn, Celia! The rest is already taken care of!" I flashed her my brightest smile and she waved in response.

"You worry too much, Claire. Everything will work out perfectly, I promise!" Ann beamed, grabbing my arm, forcing me to walk faster. "The sooner we get there, the more surprised people will be."

"You did tell your dad that I would be staying at the Inn...right?" I eyed the redhead suspiciously.

"Of course! And I made him promise not to tell anyone about it, _**especially**_ Gray." She gave me a mischievous smirk and waggled her eyebrows.

"Dear Goddess, woman...you'll give me a stroke if you keep at this game." I shook my head at her and rubbed my temples.

"Oh, come on, Claire, it's all because I _**LOVE**_ you!" Ann laughed, throwing her arms out as wide as she could to emphasize how much she, err, loved me.

I ignored her comment, in order to keep my sanity, and just kept hiking up Mother's Hill. During the hike Ann kept babbling on and on about how surprised everyone would be, and how much everyone would love me as much as she did. I tried to tune her out as best as I could, but I still heard key words that made me groan. These words included: Gray, corn, love, housewife, lucky, and children.

"We're here!" Ann blurted happily, dragging me toward, what I assumed to be, the empty farmland she told me about.

"Wow...This place looks worse than my ranch did when I inherited it..." I gave Ann my best what-the-hell face and crossed my arms. "You can live a refreshing life on this farm, huh?"

"Well, no one has lived here for a long time, so it's pretty uncared for...But I'm sure someone like you could turn it into a **wonderful** farm! With a bunch of chickens, and cows, and sheep, and a horse!" She grinned.

"You know I can't live here, silly...I inherited my father's farm, and I promised that I'd take care of it...besides..." My tone went from soft to comical, "You'd give me a stroke if I had to see you every day."

"Hey!" She pouted, giving me a shove before scampering off toward the town.

"Wait! I don't know my way around here! I'm going to get lost!" I sprinted into the town, looking around wildly. "DAMN IT!"

"C-Claire? What are you doing here?" A familiar, and oddly timid-sounding, voice called out from my right.

"Oh, Rick! Uh...Ann dragged me all the way here and won't let me go home until tomorrow afternoon?" I scratched the back of my head, slightly pulling on my golden locks.

"I'm not really that surprised...hearing that." He raised an eyebrow at me, pushing up his glasses.

"Yeah...so, will you help me find the Inn? I have no idea where anything is in this place..." I looked at him expectantly, slightly twirling a strand of my hair.

"Well, I guess I have a little time...Okay, follow me, then." Rick smiled, walking toward the way I came from, but turning right into the town instead of left onto the farm.

I complied, following him down the street like the lost puppy I was. We didn't have to walk very far because as soon as we got around the corner and took several steps past, what I assumed to be, the winery, Rick stopped and looked down at me.

"We're here. Ann's probably hiding inside, so just ask Doug, at the bar, to help you find her." He gave me his (in)famous Big-Brother-Smile, and then walked up the street next to the Inn.

"Riiiiight..." I sighed and walked into the building, looking around for the bar.

"I've never seen you around here before, are you new?" The redhead man at the bar asked, polishing a glass.

"Huh? Oh, well, actually, I'm Claire. I own a ranch in Forget-Me-Not Valley, but Ann dragged me over here to try to persuade me to move here." _Wow...Bartenders really __**are**__ easy to talk to..._

"So you're the farmer that Ann told me about. You're as pretty as she said you were." The man smiled, waving me over. "The name's Doug, I'm the owner of this Inn, and Ann and Gray's father."

I complied, walking over toward the bar and sitting on a bar stool.

"I was surprised you didn't run in here with Ann...She bolted through the door so fast she would have knocked the wind out of anybody by ramming into them." He laughed, putting the glass down and looking me over. "I approve."

"Wait...Approve what?" I blinked at the older man and raised both of my eyebrows.

"Why, you and Gray, of course!" He chuckled, walking toward the back room. "Come on out, Ann! Claire is here!"

My face instantly heated up and I could feel my heart skip a beat at Doug's words. _I've already been approved by the father and the sister...But, getting Gray to approve of that is still practically out of the question!_ I ran my fingers through my tresses once again.

"Oh, Claire! How in the world did you manage to find this place?" Ann gave me a nervous smile as she walked out of the back room.

"Well, a little birdie told me that you'd be here. And that same little birdie escorted me here." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"Was the little birdie surprised to see you, at least?" Ann pouted.

"Well, I suppose he was surprised until I told him how I got here." I shrugged, looking over my shoulder.

"Aww man! It's no fun when they know that I brought you here!" She huffed, but then regained her usual attitude. "So, Claire, let's go bake some corn! Gray forgot to bring a lunch to work, so I'm sure he'd be _**thrilled**_ if you showed up at the blacksmith shop with baked corn just for him!"

My face exploded to red in almost an instant as I comprehended what the redhead told me. "I think I just had my first stroke." I put my right hand over my heart, hoping it would slow down the pace of my heartbeats.

Ann just laughed as she dragged me into the back room. There was a kitchen to the left and a bedroom to the right. She, of course, dragged me to the kitchen.

"Now, all you have to do is put the corn in the oven. Simple as that." She grabbed my rucksack from me and took out one cob of corn.

I cleared my throat and attempted to speak, but no words came out. _Goddess, she knows just what to say to get me all flustered like this._

"What's wrong, Claire? Gray got your tongue?" She smirked at me, knowing how embarrassed she was making me.

"I wish!" I shouted, instantly covering my mouth and turning away from the insanely hyper redheaded girl.

"I knew it!" She laughed, putting some corn in the oven. "I knew you wouldn't be able to hide it for much longer."

"It's so embarrassing!" I buried my face in my hands, wanting very much to crawl under a rock somewhere.

"Oh, it's not that bad. Besides, I already know that he likes you! He just needs a little...Shove." She winked, wrapping her arm around my shoulders. "And that's why you need to do _**exactly**_ what I tell you to do."

"I'm going to regret this...but, I'll do what ever you tell me to do..." I hung my head in shame, and because it felt a lot heavier than usual.

"Good! Now, here's what you're gonna do..." Ann explained.

-Several minutes later-

"You're kidding! I have to wear this apron and everything?!" I groaned. Ann had transformed me into a housewife figure, and was expecting me to stay like this until I got back from the blacksmith shop.

"Hurry up, now, it's noon already, so you better go before my big brother starves to death." She giggled and shoved me out of the Inn and into the streets. "Remember, instead of going right toward Rick's place; go left into the smaller building. You should see Gramps behind the counter and Gray will most likely be behind him working on something. Good luck!"

I gulped, but knew I had no choice in the matter, so I started walking where Ann had instructed. "This is so embarrassing..." I mumbled under my breath, trying my hardest not to be red-faced when I entered the blacksmith shop. I had to be flawless for this to work.

I finally reached my destination; Saibara's Blacksmith. I took a deep, calming breath and walked into the shop.

"How can I help you, Missy?" The old man, Saibara, asked, waving me over to his counter.

"Actually, I'm here looking for Gray. You see, he forgot his lunch for today, so I brought it for him." I smiled and gestured toward the picnic basket Ann had put the baked corn in.

"Oh, really? Well, then, Gray! Get out here! There's a beautiful young woman here to see you!" Saibara chuckled.

"What are you talking about, Gramps?" Gray grumbled, walking out of a room with several ores in his arms. As soon as he saw me, he dropped the ores, and his jaw.

"Gray, you forgot your lunch, so I brought it for you." I smiled sweetly at him, reaching into the picnic basket and pulling out a plate of baked corn. "I made it with the corn I grew on my farm."

Gray stood there in a daze for a while until Saibara cleared his throat.

"Don't just stand there like a fool, boy! When a beautiful woman offers you food, you take it graciously!" Saibara slightly shouted, causing Gray to snap back into reality.

"Th-thanks, Claire..." Gray stammered, taking the baked corn I held out toward him.

"No need to thank me, silly. It's my job, after all." I smiled at Gray and Saibara and waved goodbye, leaving the shop and closing the door behind me. As soon as the door shut, I sprinted back to the Inn where Ann was waiting for me outside.

"So, how'd it go?" She beamed, hugging me.

"It was so embarrassing! I think I had another stroke!" I started trembling. "You're going to kill me if you keep this up!"

"Okay, okay, I'll lay off it a while. How about you take a nice, cool bath?" Ann gave me a wink and dragged me inside.

I groaned, but agreed to the bath. I was probably covered in sweat, anyway. I just hope there's a lock on the bathroom door.

"Oh, by the way, the lock on the door is a little...um...Oh, who am I kidding? The lock is broken, so you'll have to put a sign on the door or something." Ann gave me a cheery smile, and took me up the stairs.

"You're...kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding!" I pleaded, looking at Ann anxiously.

"Heheh...Sorry, Claire." She laughed nervously.

"Oh Goddess..." I moaned, hanging my head. _I can just see it now...Gray will walk into the bathroom and BAM! There I am! Naked in the bathtub! Completely at his mercy! Wait...I did __**not**__ mean to think something like that..._

"The bath is ready, so just strip and get in!" Ann chirped, pushing me into the bathroom and closing the door.

I sighed, but stripped nonetheless. If anyone was going to see me naked, well, I'd just have to kill them or something. I slowly stepped into the tub and slid down into the cool, yet warm, water.

"I'll bring you a towel in half an hour!" Ann shouted through the door.

"Okay!" I slightly shouted back, sighing and covering my chest with my arms. _It feels so weird taking a bath here..._

After about ten minutes, I heard someone's voice, and saw the doorknob start to turn.

_Crap...Please tell me that's Ann!_ I gulped, sinking down into the water to shield my nude body.

The person who walked through the door was...

* * *

**Feels like I punched you in the face, doesn't it? :D That's what I was going for! Not really, but anyways, I've decided it would be wise of me to put Claire's trip into a few chapters. I still have tons more to write, but you'll have to wait for it like good little children/adults/whatever. I might even write in Gray's P.O.V.! :D Yay! Well, tell me if you liked it!**


	4. I'm NAKED!

**I know I left on a Cliff hanger. XD I'm sorry I had Cliff dangling over a hanger, but c'est la vie. Enjoy this next part. :D Thank you to my **_**demanding**_** reviewers. XP And thank you to a certain someone who explained to me what a stroke is. :3 Although I already knew it was brain related, I just liked making Claire look rather dense. Also, I'm sorry for not being super descriptive about Claire's housewife look. XD I thought I'd just leave it up to you guys to make her look however you want. But, if you wanted to know, she looked like your stereotypical housewife. Sorry about the shortness. ): My brain went BOOM near the end.**

* * *

Claire's P.O.V.

_Crap...Please tell me that's Ann!_ I gulped, sinking down into the water to shield my nude body.

The person who walked through the door was...

"Kai?! What the hell?! Get out!" I screamed, throwing the closest object to me; a bar of soap went flying and smacked him right in the nose.

"Geez! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were in the tub!" He mumbled, closing the door, but then opening it almost instantly after. "What the hell?! Claire?! What are you doing in Mineral town?!"

"Kai! _**OUT**_!" I hissed, throwing one of my shoes at him, hitting him in the chest.

"Tell me first!" He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest in a slightly challenging way.

"Ask Ann! For Goddess sake, Kai, I'm freaking _**naked**_!" I covered myself as best as I could with my arms, knees, and legs.

He looked at me, and pouted. "Fine, I didn't wanna see you naked anyways." He closed the door and left this time.

"Damn it...Did Ann put up a sign? Ugh, I give up...My life is officially ruined." I mumbled, sinking further into the tub so that only the top half of my face was out of the water.

"Claire? I brought you a towel. It's one of those really big ones you told me you always liked." Ann chirped, opening the door and walking in, closing the door behind her. "What's up? You don't look very happy..."

"It's nothing, Ann...Kai just walked in and saw me like this in the tub." I waved my hand and sunk further into the tub.

"He _**WHAT**_?!?!" She blurted, waving her arms around. "I told him NOT to go into the bathroom!"

"But did you tell him that someone was in here? I mean, honestly, Ann! He just barged through the door like he freaking owned the place, and when he left the first time, he just came back in!" I smacked the water with my left hand and huffed.

"That's it...I think I may just kill him in his sleep tonight...Or," She smirked, "I'll tell Gray about it, and _he_ can kill Kai in his sleep." She gave me a wink and stood up, getting just out of my reach.

"I'm gonna kill you in a minute!" I shouted, my face red from embarrassment and slight anger from earlier.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Just...get dressed and we can watch a movie or something." Ann put her hands up, signaling her surrender.

"Fine..." I mumbled, stepping out of the tub and grabbing the large bath towel and wrapping it around myself.

The redhead simply grinned at me and then opened the bathroom door a little more than I would have liked because...well...

"G-Gray!" Ann choked, waving her arms around in an attempt to prevent Gray from seeing me in only a bath towel.

"What were you doing in the bathroom for so...long...?" Gray stiffened and just stood in the hallway, staring into the bathroom with an increasingly red face.

"Oh, you're home." I stated, grabbing my hairbrush from my rucksack calmly. "Did you like your lunch?" I looked over at him and tilted my head, smiling.

"Okay, Claire...You can stop the housewife act...It's a little weird when you're only in a bath towel..." Ann mumbled, raising her eyebrows at my calm attitude.

"So you're the one who told her to come to the blacksmith dressed like...like that?" Gray grumbled, pulling his hat down as far as it would go.

"Well, I would get dressed, but I don't think you'd find it appropriate for me to do it while you two are watching me." I shrugged, brushing my long, blonde locks.

Ann shook her head and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

I waited until I heard another door close and grabbed my shirt, screaming all of my embarrassment into it. "I can't believe that just happened! If this stuff happens every day, I'd die of a heart attack! Goddess!"

I quickly dried off and put my pajamas on; a pale blue tank top and some dark blue men's boxer shorts that had the front flap sewn up. I put my dirty clothes into my rucksack and walked into the hallway.

"Ann? Where do you want me to put my stuff?" I looked around, but there wasn't anyone around except an adorable orange tabby cat. "Well, hello there, little kitty." I walked over to the cat and reached down to pet it, only to be hissed at. "Geez, okay. Goddess, you're feistier than Key..."

"Claire! I've got the T.V. set up in here! But put your stuff in the other room!" Ann called from the room on my right.

"Okay! I'll be there in a minute!" I walked over to the other room and put my stuff next to a neatly made bed that looked like it hadn't been used for a long time. _Huh...I thought Ann said the Inn here was popular...? Maybe she was just bragging._ I shrugged, and walked out of the room.

"C'mon, Claire! We're gonna watch Tarzan!" Ann chirped, pulling me into the other room.

To my chagrin, both Gray and Kai were in the room, as well as Cliff in the back corner. I felt my face instantly heat up as I realized I was showing a lot of skin. Albeit less skin than Kai had seen, and a little more skin than Gray had seen.

"Oh, look! You have clothes on this time!" Kai teased, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"Shut up, Kai!" I growled, covering my extremely scarlet colored face with both of my hands.

"What are you talking about?" Gray looked over at Kai with a slight glare.

"Nothing! Movie time!" Ann blurted, pushing the play button on the VHS player. "Claire, come sit by me!" Ann patted the space in between her and the muscular blacksmith.

I hesitated, but complied when I saw something change in Gray's eyes at the thought of having me sit in between him and his younger sister.

"Hey...Ann, do you have a pillow I can use? I feel awkward watching movies without a pillow to hold on to." I rubbed the back of my head and slightly tugged on my hair.

"Of course! Hold on a sec, okay?" She scampered over to one of the beds, the one closest to the door, and grabbed one of the white, fluffy pillows. "How about this one?" She held it out for me and smirked at Gray.

"Um...o...kay...?" I blinked, taking the pillow and hugging it close to my chest. I took a breath and inhaled the scent of light cologne. "Whose pillow is this?" I raised my eyebrow at Ann while the previews before the movie played in the background.

"Huh? Oh, you know..." She grinned at me, waving it off as unimportant.

"Whatever..." I sighed, and buried my nose into the pillow, inhaling its scent again. _I feel like I know this cologne...But it's too subtle for me to know for sure..._

As I looked up at the television set, I saw the universal _Disney_ symbol and smiled to myself. Maybe Mineral town isn't all that bad...The villagers just show up at the wrong place at the wrong time.

* * *

**Okay, I'm gonna cut it off here. :3 Not as punch in the face, but it will be in a minute...The next chapter is going to in Gray's P.O.V.! :D I'm really nervous about it...Especially since I've never attempted to do his point of view. D: Anyways, I DON'T OWN DISNEY! I just felt a need to put Tarzan in this story. XD It's a great movie, don't judge me! Anyways, there will probably be a couple more chapters in Mineral town, then it's back to Forget-Me-Not valley for a little think time. :3 Please review kindly! Sorry it's short. The next one will be longer. **


	5. This is Movie Night, Oh What a Night!

**I honestly don't own Harvest Moon, or Tarzan. But, you all knew that, right? Right? Anyone? Oh, forget it. Anyways, this whole chapter is gonna be in Gray's P.O.V. so, wish me luck! :D Ha, anyways, this chapter will start back at the blacksmith before Claire showed up in Goddess-knows-what, kay? :D Thank you to my reviewers! I love you guys! Err...gals? Oh, you know what I mean! [And to my Demanding Reviewer; it's okay. It didn't hurt me at all. It just made me think. I love it when people make me think. :3]**

* * *

I growled in frustration at all of the work Gramps had been giving me recently. He's had me working nonstop for the past two weeks; ever since I got back from Forget-Me-Not Valley after meeting the farmer girl, Claire.

"How can I help you, Missy?" Gramps welcomed whoever walked into the shop.

"Actually, I'm here looking for Gray. You see, he forgot his lunch for today, so I brought it for him." A familiar voice spoke happily, and I nearly strained myself to hear who it was before Gramps yelled at me.

"Oh, really? Well, then, Gray! Get out here! There's a beautiful young woman here to see you!" The old man chuckled.

"What are you talking about, Gramps?" I grumbled, walking out of the back room with a few silver ore for a tool upgrade that was requested by Vesta. As soon as I saw the woman who was apparently looking for me, I felt my jaw drop and my eyes widen. It was Claire! And she was wearing a dress that looked similar to Ms. Lillia's, only pale blue, a navy blue apron wrapped around her waist, and a picnic basket in her arms.

"Gray, you forgot your lunch, so I brought it for you." Claire smiled sweetly at me, pulling out a plate of baked corn. "I made it with the corn I grew on my farm."

I felt my heart pounding, and stood in a daze for several seconds, or minutes, I didn't know, or care. As I was dazed, Gramps cleared his throat; a sign that I'd be getting a lecture.

"Don't just stand there like a fool, boy! When a beautiful woman offers you food, you take it graciously!" He shouted, making me snap back into reality. I would have chewed him out for yelling at me, but I couldn't do it with Claire here, watching us.

"Th-thanks, Claire..." _Damn it!_ I mentally cursed myself for stuttering.

"No need to thank me, silly. It's my job, after all." She smiled at me and Gramps, and waved a goodbye before walking out of the shop.

"Is there something you aren't telling me, Gray?" Gramps chuckled, waggling his eyebrows at me.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about, Old Man." I growled, picking up the silver ores and walking back to my work station. _What the hell just happened? Tell me I'm not hallucinating...Ugh, I'll never get work done now..._

"Why don't you head home early, Boy. You look like you're head is in the clouds." He huffed a bit, but I knew he just wanted to embarrass me more.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer..." I sighed, putting the ores aside for tomorrow.

"Just don't get into any trouble." He slightly shoved me out the door.

I grunted in response and walked down the path, toward Rose Square. I needed time to think before I rushed into the Inn and said something stupid that would scare Claire away. It's not like I loved her or anything, I just didn't want her to leave. They're completely different.

I walked through the square, stopping at the message board as I did every day before work. I looked at the board, but didn't comprehend anything that was written on it. I was too focused on my heart. It still hadn't slowed down since I saw Claire in that housewife get-up. I shook my head and decided to eat the baked corn she had made for me. After all, it was my favorite food.

I looked at the baked corn and noticed a little note attached to it. "Gray, please come to the Inn at 2:00 for a movie with me." I read the neatly-written cursive handwriting and noticed that the 'i' in Claire's name was dotted with a heart. I shrugged and ate the corn before it got too cold and headed toward the Inn. I knew it was Ann's handwriting, and I figured Claire didn't even know about the note.

"There you are, Gray! Claire's taking a bath, so the movie won't be on until she gets out." Ann shrugged at me, but then almost instantly looked back inside. "Crap! I forgot something! Just, uh, wait down here for a little while, okay?" She rushed back inside the Inn and up the stairs, leaving me in the dust.

"What the hell did she forget that was so important?" I muttered, walking into the Inn. _I know she told me to stay down stairs...But something is telling me that I want to be upstairs for something..._ I walked up the stairs and walked past the bathroom as the door opened widely, giving me a full view of Claire in nothing but a bath towel.

"G-Gray!" Ann choked, waving her arms around, trying to block my view.

"What were you doing in the bathroom for so...long...?" I stiffened and just stood in the hallway, staring into the bathroom with an increasingly red face.

"Oh, you're home." Claire stated, grabbing a hairbrush from her rucksack calmly. "Did you like your lunch?" She looked over at me, tilted her head and smiled.

"Okay, Claire...You can stop the housewife act...It's a little weird when you're only in a bath towel..." Ann mumbled, raising her eyebrows at Claire's calm attitude.

"So you're the one who told her to come to the blacksmith dressed like...like that?" I grumbled, pulling my hat down as far as it would go, which wasn't far enough for me.

"Well, I would get dressed, but I don't think you'd find it appropriate for me to do it while you two are watching me." She shrugged, brushing her long, blonde tresses.

Ann shook her head and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Goddess, I think she's lost her mind. Well, come help me set up the T.V. in your room. That's where we'll watch the movie." Ann sighed, grabbing my sleeve and pulling me into the room I shared with Cliff and, in the summer, Kai.

I shook my head and took my hat off, throwing it onto the nightstand next to my bed. I looked over at Ann as she searched the movies we had lying around and ran my fingers through my red hair.

"Ann? Where do you want me to put my stuff?" Claire's voice came from the hall.

"Claire! I've got the T.V. set up in here! But put your stuff in the other room!" Ann called, pulling out a video tape. "Heh, Tarzan. Sounds good enough to me." She shrugged and waited for Claire to join us.

"Okay! I'll be there in a minute!" Claire called out.

"C'mon, Claire! We're gonna watch Tarzan!" Ann chirped, pulling Claire into the room.

I slightly gulped; Claire was barely wearing anything. She had a tank top and shorts on, and she was showing more skin than I thought I'd ever see before getting married. Her face turned slightly red as she noticed that she and Ann weren't the only two watching the movie.

"Oh, look! You have clothes on this time!" Kai teased, waggling his eyebrows at Claire.

"Shut up, Kai!" She growled, covering her scarlet colored face with both of her hands.

"What are you talking about?" I looked over at Kai with a slight glare.

"Nothing! Movie time!" Ann blurted, pushing the play button on the VHS player. "Claire, come sit by me!" Ann patted the space in between her and myself.

I felt my eyes slightly soften at the thought of Claire sitting next to me. Claire hesitated, but complied and sat in between me and my little sister on the mattress we had set up for the movie.

"Hey...Ann, do you have a pillow I can use? I feel awkward watching movies without a pillow to hold on to." She rubbed the back of her head and slightly tugged on her hair.

"Of course! Hold on a sec, okay?" She scampered over to my bed and grabbed one of my clean and white, fluffy pillows. "How about this one?" She held it out for Claire and smirked at me.

"Um...o...kay...?" Claire blinked, hugging my pillow close to her chest. She took a deep breath, smelling my pillow, which, I'll admit, was a little strange, but I wouldn't complain. "Whose pillow is this?" She raised her eyebrow at Ann as the previews started playing on the T.V.

"Huh? Oh, you know..." She grinned at Claire, waving it off as unimportant. I looked at Ann with a 'what-the-hell' expression on my face.

"Whatever..." Claire mumbled, burying her face into my pillow once again. I felt something tug at my heart as she looked up and smiled at the _Disney_ symbol on the screen. "Did you know that this is one of my favorite movies ever?"

"Shh, the movie is starting!" Ann shushed, slightly giggling.

As the movie started, no one talked, and everyone's eyes were glued to the screen. I felt Claire move a little, and looked over at her. She was crossing her legs and hugging my pillow to her chest again.

_**Put your faith in what you most believe in**_

_**Two worlds, one family **_

_**Trust your heart,**_

_**Let fate decide**_

_**To guide the lives we see**_

I could feel something grabbing my sleeve and I directed my gaze toward Claire. Her arm wrapped around mine, and she slightly shuffled herself closer to me. My face instantly heated up and I tried to pull my hat down. But, since my hat was on the nightstand, I just ended up running my fingers through my hair.

_**A paradise untouched by man**_

_**Within this world blessed with love**_

_**A simple life, they live in peace**_

_**Softly tread the sand below your feet now**_

_**Two worlds, one family**_

_**Trust your heart, let fate decide**_

_**To guide the lives we see**_

Claire gripped my arm a little tighter, and brought my pillow closer to her face.

"I hate this next part..." She whispered. I hoped she was whispering it directly to me, but it was probably directed more toward herself.

As the movie continued, Claire continued to point out things in the movie that I'd never noticed before. For example; when the mother gorilla finds baby Tarzan, the blue blankets that look like garbage, are actually the bodies of Tarzan's parents. Which is creepy, but when you look at it, she was completely right. She also noticed that the Jaguar's body disappears after Tarzan offers it to Kerchak. The last one she mentioned was the shadow of Clayton getting hanged on the tree behind Tarzan. Again, that's pretty morbid for a kids' movie.

I realized something throughout the movie; Claire wasn't kidding when she said it was one of her favorite movies. From the corner of my eye, I could see her smile at certain parts, and during some of the more...err, romantic parts, she would hide her face in my pillow, and slightly tug on my arm.

"Aww, look, Claire! They're kissing!" Ann teased, poking Claire's side.

"Shut up! You're so embarrassing!" Claire squeaked, scooting over onto my lap.

I felt a lump in my throat, and my face burned bright red. _Claire is on my lap...and she's barely wearing anything...and I don't even think she realizes that she's on my lap...oh Goddess!_

Before Ann could tease her anymore, Claire threw my pillow at her face and instantly hid her face in the crook of my neck.

Ann opened her mouth to yell at Claire, but then closed it and smirked. "Would you two like to be alone?"

"Geez, and they say _I'm_ the bad one." Kai sniggered, smirking as well.

"C'mon, you two, let's leave them alone." Cliff mumbled, dragging Ann and Kai out of the room.

"Uh...C-Claire?" I stammered, hoping to Goddess that she couldn't feel my heart racing.

"Mmph?" I felt a shiver run down my spine as her warm breath caressed my neck. Wait, did I just say caressed? Damn it!

I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. I was stunned, to say the least. I could feel the blonde's every move, her every breath, and it was driving me insane.

"It was your pillow, wasn't it?" She mumbled, laying her head on my chest, directly over my heart.

"W-what?" My voice got slightly higher than normal as she laced her small fingers with mine.

"You smell just like it..." She slightly blushed, but didn't get off of my lap, or let go of my hand.

I bit my tongue and slowly put my arm around Claire, as if I would scare her by moving any faster. I swallowed my anxiety and looked down at Claire.

_She's...asleep...?_ I felt my lips slightly curl into a smile as I looked down at the petite farmer.

But, don't be fooled, I'm still not in love with her or anything. I'm still just confused. I mean, you would be too if you had a practically naked girl sitting on _**your**_ lap, holding _**your**_ hand, and resting her head on _**your**_ chest...Right?

* * *

**Well, I feel like this is the perfect place to stop. :3 So, did you like this fluffy chapter of fluff? I sure as heck hope so! I mean, I worked SO hard to write it for you people! Anyways, I like making Gray all flustered. :D It's more fun than making Claire flustered! Also, I kinda got some of my ideas from reviews I've gotten, and a few were from random movies I've been watching. I STILL DON'T OWN Tarzan! D: I wish I did, I mean, Phil Collins out-did himself on the soundtrack, and everyone was just so good at doing what they do best! But, uh, anyways...Review it nicely, pretty please. :3 Corrective criticism is ALWAYS welcome here. Even if it's just to call me a stupid, stupid-face.**


	6. Oh my head!

**Oh golly, I'm sorry this took me so long. I've been distracted by lots of stuff lately. Namely my stress, though. I've been packing it on for almost a week now. D: Anyone know any good stress relievers? Anyways, back on topic, let us see what happens to Claire and Gray now, shall we? :D It's back to Claire's point of view, by the way.**

I had fallen asleep in Gray's arms; it was my dream come true. Actually, my dream went more like this...

_I was standing in the middle of the Mineral Town farm. All around me were hundreds of corn stalks, and they were all ready to be harvested. _

_I sighed with satisfaction at the field and looked around me. _

_As I looked back at the house, a small toddler waddled out of the front door and ran over toward me. He was a sweet little redheaded boy in blue pajamas, and he had bright aqua-colored eyes. As he neared my spot in the field, he reached out toward me, beckoning for me to pick him up._

_I smiled sweetly at the boy and picked him up in my arms, nuzzling his cheek with my nose. He giggled and looked behind him, reaching toward the man that had just walked onto the farm._

_I turned my head toward the farm entrance and made my way out of the maze of corn. The man who had walked onto the farm was none other than..._

"Mm...Gray..." I mumbled, attempting to roll over, only to find I couldn't. I slowly fluttered my eyes open, the corners of my mouth slightly tugging downward into a small frown until I looked up to see deep blue eyes gazing into my own.

I felt my lips slightly twitch upward at the spacey look in his eyes. But I also had a nervous feeling that I'd mumbled his name in my sleep. Way to go, Clarisse, way to go.

"Gray? Hello?" I spoke slightly softly, waving my hand in front of his face.

He didn't say anything, nor did his expression change. He just reached up and grabbed my hand, pulling me closer to him. I felt myself blush as our noses lightly touched together.

"What are you two doing in there?!" Ann's voice boomed from just outside the door.

I instantly jumped back, pulling myself away from Gray and snapping him back into reality.

"N-nothing!" I shouted back, hoping the door wouldn't be kicked in or something.

Luckily for me, the door was just swung open and the redheaded waitress simply stood in the doorway. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, looking Gray and I over.

"Why is your face so red, Claire?" Ann raised her eyebrow at me, and then looked back over to Gray.

"I uh...um..." I fumbled around my brain for an excuse. _There's no way I could tell her that I fell asleep on Gray, and then he almost tried to KISS me!_

"She fell asleep, and your yelling woke her up." Gray mumbled, standing up and grabbing his hat off the nightstand.

"Oh? And where did you fall asleep, missy?" Ann inquired, placing her hands on her hips.

"Uh, on the mattress...?" I blinked at the redhead, hoping she would just let the topic drop right away.

"Tch, it's only three o' clock, Claire! You should save sleeping for later!"

"Three...o' clock? Goddess, why did I put on my pajamas, then?" I groaned, sliding my hand down my face.

"I don't know." Ann shrugged.

"I'm going for a walk..." Gray mumbled, placing his hat firmly on his head and walking out of the room.

"So, you must be hungry, Claire! Come down stairs for a snack!" Ann chirped, taking my arm and dragging me out of the room.

"Well, I guess I'm kind of hungry." I mumbled, my stomach growling as if to say, "You're more than just kind of hungry."

"My dad is the best cook ever, so he made you a boxed lunch!" Ann beamed happily, dragging me down the stairs.

"Careful on the stairs, Ann! Or we'll both fall!" I squeaked, trying to keep up with her pace.

"Ah, afternoon, Claire." Doug greeted, washing a glass cup. "Your boxed lunch is right here." He placed the glass down and held out a small box filled with food he'd made.

"Thanks so much, but you didn't have to make anything for me." I reached out and grabbed the small box, opening it to see rice balls, sushi, and some pineapple slices.

"It's nothing. It's just a small snack to tide you over until dinner in a few hours." Doug gave me a smile and motioned for me to go sit down at a table.

I nodded at the bartender and took a seat at the table closest to the stairs. I set the box in front of me and grabbed a rice ball, nibbling on the edge of it.

"I'll be right back, dad! I'm going to get all of the girls, okay?" The waitress rushed out the door, not even waiting for her father's response.

I shook my head and continued to munch on the snacks that my gracious host's father had prepared for me. It felt right to be in this town, but it also felt right to be in the valley. I dropped my half eaten rice ball back into the box and buried my face in my hands. What am I going to do? Should I stay in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and run the risk of only seeing Gray on Thursdays? Or, should I move here and never see any of my Forget-Me-Not friends unless I decide to waltz back over there and risk being shunned because I left my own father's farm?

"Claire, if you have a problem, you can talk about it. It'll make you feel a lot better." Doug stated, motioning me to come to the bar.

I nodded and stood up, taking my boxed lunch with me to the counter top.

"Well, you see..." I wracked my brain, trying to think of a way to tell the bartender without sounding like I wanted him to make a decision for me.

"You're stressed out because you don't know if you should move here, or if you should stay back on your ranch in the valley, right?" The older man smiled down at me. "Don't rush your thoughts; give yourself enough time to think about all of it. For now, just enjoy your stay here, and then when you get back home, don't think about it for a while until you get back into your regular work pattern."

I let my head drop onto the table as I thought more. "It's so hard to choose, though..."

The bartender put his hand on my shoulder, "Just relax for a while. Don't over think your situation just yet. And, if it helps, talk to your friends in the valley for advice. Don't you have a bartender there you can talk to?"

"Yeah...that's what I'll do. I'll talk to Griffin as soon as the bar opens tomorrow." I picked myself off of the counter top and smiled at Doug. "Thanks for all of your help..."

"It's what I've got to do, Darlin'. You might just end up being my daughter-in-law." The older man laughed, winking at me.

I felt myself flush and turned my back toward Doug. This guy is crazy! I shook my head rapidly and started munching on my rice ball once again.

"I'm back! Did you miss me?!" Ann shouted, bursting through the front door with Karen in tow and the other girls behind her. "It is time to party!"

I ran my hand down my face, but smiled at the group of girls. As long as I'm here in Mineral town, I should just relax and enjoy myself.

**I'm sorry, but I've got to stop it here. The next chapter will be the girls' party. I'll try to get it out within the week, but with all of the stuff that's been going on in my life; I just don't know if I can do it. Ugh, real life sucks.**


	7. Ladies night? Psh, yeah right

**Well, everyone, I'm not sure how long this story will be. I'm pretty sure I'll only make a few more chapters, though. This story wasn't even supposed to be a story, remember? But, I suppose my reviewers convinced me to make it longer. Anyways, it's time for my worst nightmare. D: And all-girl slumber party! -screams and runs around the room- Ahem, anyways, just read the evil chapter of doom that took forever to write because Hidan has big ba...err, anyways! No crossovers, please! Eheheh.**

* * *

"Let's go upstairs and tell secrets!" Popuri squealed, skipping toward the stairs.

"Yeah, c'mon, Claire! I'm sure you have something to tell everyone." Karen smirked, grabbing my arm and dragging me up the stairs.

"Well, let's get upstairs, girls! Don't wanna miss Claire's dirty little secret!" Ann laughed, dragging Elli and Mary up the stairs.

"You know...you guys are the reason I'm going to die an early death." I groaned, crossing my arms and hopping on top of Ann's dresser.

"Now, now, Claire, statements like those are the kinds that get you into trouble." Karen grinned, her, surprisingly, pearly white teeth gleaming.

I muttered small curses under my breath and gave the group of girls the best angry pout I could muster. Apparently it wasn't very convincing because they all started laughing at me, **even Mary**!

"Okay, now, we're going to play Truth." Popuri beamed, clasping her hands together and laying them down on her lap.

"Don't you mean Truth or Dare?" Elli inquired, placing her finger on her chin in a thinking way.

"No, just Truth. If we played Truth or Dare, Claire would just keep choosing the dares no matter how disgusting they were!" The pink haired girl huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That is _not_ true!" I objected, pointing accusingly at Ann, "Ann was the one who kept daring me to do something I wouldn't do, so then I had to lick the sink!" I flailed my arms around my head as if what I was saying was the most obvious statement ever.

"Too bad. Now, then, I believe it should be Popuri's turn first since she's so eager to play." Ann pointed toward Popuri, giving her the okay to start.

"Yay! I choose Mary! Have you ever been in love with a guy?" The pink haired girl giggled, obviously proud of herself for not choosing me first. How mature.

"No." The librarian raised her eyebrow at the giggling girl, "None of the guys in this town are my cup of tea."

"Aww, that's no fun, Mary!" Popuri pouted, showing her disappointment in the dark haired librarian.

Mary waved her hand, dismissing Popuri's whining, "Okay, I suppose I'll pick Elli. Have you ever had feelings toward Tim?"

"M-Mary! How can you ask that question?" The nurse squeaked, a blush creeping onto the bridge of her nose.

"Well, answer it, Elli." Karen smirked, folding her hands on her knees. "We're all _dying_ to hear about it."

"C'mon, Elli, we all know you have the hots for Doctor Trent." I grinned at the brunette, savoring the moments before I'd be the victim of their cruel tricks.

"Oh, you're one to talk! You're head-over-heels for Gray! We've all seen the way you get all dreamy when you see him walk by!" Elli huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"H-hey! Don't turn this conversation on to me! What if he's right outside the door?! I'll _**die**_ of embarrassment!" It was my turn to flush, but it was my whole face instead of the ever cute blush that Elli was graced with.

"Ooo~. Looks like the tables have been turned. I like where this is going!" Karen grinned, throwing her shoes off and jumping on Ann's bed.

"What about you! You obviously have a love-hate thing going on with Rick!" I screeched, throwing a pillow at the grinning brunette.

While Karen, Elli, and I yelled at each other, Ann, Mary, and Popuri snuck out of the room. Those three were up to something, and I didn't like it.

"Girls! Girls!" I yelled, throwing my hands up to get their attention. "Did you notice that we're the only ones in this room?!"

Both brunettes looked around, their eyes widening when there was a knock on the door. Both jumped onto Ann's bed and screamed.

"Uh...come in?" I had meant for it to be a statement, but it came out as a question.

Ann peeked her head in the room and looked at us all with a Cheshire grin that sent nervous shivers down my spine.

"Annie, please tell me that grin doesn't mean anything." I squeaked, slowly sliding off the dresser and inching toward the cowering brunettes.

"Well, Clarisse, I'd love to tell you that. But, that would be a lie." Her grin got wider, if that was possible, and she opened the door to reveal my worst nightmare; Gray, Kai, Cliff, Rick, and Doctor Trent.

_Well, there goes the whole "All-girls-slumber-party-yay" idea. Oh Goddess!_ I felt more shivers run up and down my spine when I noticed that all of the guys were in their...uh, sleep attire.

"Annie...Remind me to kill you when this is over." I felt my face heat up and turned my back toward the guys.

"Why me? It was all Popuri's idea!" I didn't even have to look at her to know she was still grinning.

"Mary helped, too!" Popuri's voice chirped from the hallway.

"You're not the only one suffering here, Claire." Trent mumbled behind me.

Instead of doing the intelligent thing and trying to calm myself down, I threw my hands into the air and gurgled utter nonsense as I flung myself onto Ann's bed.

"Now, now, Clarisse, you're embarrassing yourself in front of everyone." Ann sniggered, seating herself next to me on her bed.

I turned my head and noticed that everyone was staring at me with either amusement, or a slight what-the-hell-did-she-just-do kind of look. Oh yeah, that made me feel good about myself.

"Anyways...Are you going to tell us why we're all here watching Claire embarrass herself?" Trent sighed, slightly rubbing his temples.

"Keep your pants on, Mister! Before I can tell you that, these lovely brunettes need to put their sleep gear on!" Ann grinned, grabbing Karen and Elli and rushing them out of the room.

"No, Ann wai- and you're gone." I sighed, sitting up. "Why do I even _try_ talking to her when she's scheming?"

"Because you're trying to stop her from scheming." Mary stated bluntly, pushing her glasses up.

"Well, don't just stand there, boys! Sit down!" Popuri chirped, pushing all of the guys inside the room and toward the beds.

"Heh, this day just keeps getting better." Kai laughed, winking in my direction.

"Oh, shut up! I'm gonna skin you in your sleep later." I glared at the purple bandana wearing pirate wannabe.

"I'm scared." His grin widened, but then suddenly vanished when a hand was placed roughly on his shoulder.

"She's serious, you know." Rick mumbled, pushing his glasses up and taking his hand off of Kai's shoulder.

"And how do _you_ know that, Rick?" Popuri huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well I -" Rick started, but was cut off when Ann burst through the door and paraded through the room.

"Now then! Let's continue our game of Truth!" The redheaded waitress shouted, pumping her fist into the air. "It's Elli's turn, isn't it?"

"Um, yes. But, do we have to play with them in here?" Elli squeaked, hiding behind Mary.

"What's wrong with us?" Gray mumbled, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

"Nothing! Let's just play, okay?" I finally blurted, standing up and waving my arms around to get everyone's attention. Well, it worked, didn't it? Of course it did.

"Okay...um...Ann, what's the most embarrassing thing you've made Claire do?" Elli finally asked, stepping out from behind Mary and brushing away the nonexistent dust from her nightgown.

"Ann, don't you answer that!" I screeched, my face burning bright red at the Cheshire grin that Ann gave Elli.

"I never make Claire do anything embarrassing." She answered innocently, batting her eyelashes at me.

I ran my hand down my face, knowing I should just stay quiet, but damn it I couldn't control myself! "So you didn't make me go down to the blacksmith in a freaking dress and apron and be the _'Perfect Wife' _that you had envisioned me to be? And don't let me forget how _you_ forgot to put up a sign while I was _**naked**_ in the freaking tub! It was your fault I'm gonna skin Kai! And don't even get me started on what you were planning to have happen later tonight! Goddess!" I threw my hands into the air and stormed out of the room, locking myself in a closet in the hallway.

I didn't even have to see everyone's faces to know they were all staring horrified at Ann. I sighed and placed my face in my hands. I really didn't mean to blurt all of that out, but something inside of me just snapped how she was acting so, so innocent!

"Ugh...I should apologize to her...Goddess did I let my mouth run. Okay, let's get out of here." I mumbled to myself, turning the doorknob, only to find it was locked. Wait, locked?! What kind of closet locks from the outside!? "Uh, guys?! Help!"

* * *

**Bwahaha! I've locked Claire in a closet! What's going to happen while she's locked in the closet? Only I know. :D Okay, that's a lie; I don't really know what to do with her. That's why she's locked up! Anyways, I hope you liked this short chapter of hilarity. :D I know I did once I finally figured out what I was going to do! ALSO! Thank you to the, I dunno, two or three people who reviewed the last chapter. I love you guys. :3**


	8. I hate this closet! Get me out!

**Yay! I got this chapter out! So, I need to give some credit to one of my biggest fans on Quizilla; FaeriePrincess157! She gave me the base of my idea for this chapter, and I love her to pieces for it. :3 Also, just thought I might mention, I'm always open to requests. If you would really like to see something happen, and it sounds reasonable, you can ask me to put it in, and I might just do it. :P Well, enjoy! Now with more Gray-Vision! **

* * *

I felt an immense amount of anger boil up inside of me and knew that I had to get myself as far away from the purple bandana wearing tan man before I skinned him alive or broke his nose. I just growled at the cowering man and left the room, slamming the door shut behind me.

"Uh, guys?! Help!" A nervous sounding voice snapped me back into reality as I realized it was Claire!

"Claire? Where are you?" I asked, my heart racing at her sound of urgency.

"Gray? Gray, help! I'm...I'm locked in the closet!" I blinked. She was...locked in the closet? What the hell?! What kind of closet locks from the outside?!

Without saying anything else, I walked over and unlocked the closet. To my surprise, I'd gained about one hundred and ten extra pounds, and golden blonde hair smacked against my face.

"Oh, Gray! Thank you!" The petite farmer sniffled, wrapping her arms tightly around my middle section. "What kind of closet locks from the outside?!"

I chuckled a little and put my large hand on the blonde's head, making her look up at me. "Apparently that one."

She rubbed the back of her head and stuck out her tongue. "Heh, well I know that now."

"Kai, how could you!?" Popuri's voice shrieked angrily as the door to Ann's room flung open.

There was a blur of purple and tan that shoved me back hard enough to send myself and Claire into the closet. Before either of us could react, there was a hiss and an orange blur thrown into the closet with us. And, to make matters worse, the door was slammed shut!

"Oh no! Not again!" Claire groaned, burying her face into my chest. "Ouch! What just clawed me?"

I felt my eyes widen, and my breath was caught in my throat. "It's Ann freaking crazy cat!" I felt myself clutch onto Claire a little tighter, as if holding her would save her from the demon cat. As much as I didn't want to admit it, I wanted to be Claire's cliché hero just once. Damn...I'm practically putty in her hands, and she probably doesn't even know it!

"Gray..." I felt Claire grip my shirt with her small hands, her warm breath kissing my neck as she spoke, "Do you think I should move here?"

_**Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.**_

"Why are you asking me?" I felt my face heat up in embarrassment. I hoped that she couldn't hear what she did to my heart.

"I...Value your opinion." She answered slowly, as if she was regretting asking me the question.

"As long as you're happy, my opinion doesn't matter." I felt myself exhale the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. That's it, Gray; let's push Claire away by saying stuff that she's probably already heard.

Before Claire could respond to my statement, she cried out.

"Ouch! What's your problem, you psycho cat?" She slightly tugged on my shirt, trying to signal me to do something.

I searched through my mind, trying to think of what I could do to save my _**Damsel in Distress**_, and then it finally hit me. I took a swift breath and bent down slightly, doing my best to pick up Claire in a "Bridal" style. I heard Claire gasp as her arms found their way around my neck.

"G-Gray? What are you doing?" She slightly squeaked, refusing to look up at me.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm rescuing you." I looked up at the ceiling, cringing as the cat's needle-like claws dug into my leg. Damn you cat!

"Okay, okay! I'll get you another freaking pillow! Goddess, you're picky, Rick!" Ann's voice boomed from outside the closet door.

The door was yanked open and Ann stood in the doorway; smirking.

"My oh my, Clarisse, what ever are you and Gray doing in this closet? And all alone, too." Ann's smirk became an evil grin as she saw her cat walk out of the closet.

"Ann, don't you _**dare**_ shut this door!" I growled, giving Ann the best glare I could muster. Let me tell you, it was one of my weakest glares ever. Why? Simple; I'm still holding that blonde petite farmer who makes my heart jump and skip like May on church days.

The door was slammed shut and once again locked from the outside. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Ann?

"Now, you two play nice in there!" She chirped happily.

I looked down at Claire and froze as I felt her unwrap her arms from around my neck.

"Can you let me down now, Gray?" She spoke shyly, her gaze still refusing to meet mine.

I gulped and a lump appeared in my throat, "No."

"What...?" Claire instantly looked up into my eyes, her own containing confusion, and a hint of something else. I like to think it was hope, but I couldn't tell.

"I'm not going to let you down ever..." I looked down into Claire's aquamarine eyes, searching for her reaction.

"Gray, I...What are you saying all of the sudden?" Claire laughed nervously, wringing her hands together.

"Never mind...it's nothing." I laughed weakly, putting Claire back down on the ground. "Forget I even said anything." I turned my body away from the blonde. I just couldn't look at her after saying that. What the hell did I just do?

* * *

**Alright, I'm going to end it right here, sorry. D: Well, I really hope you liked this chapter even though it was all in a closet, and it was so short. If you have any requests for the next chapter, don't be afraid to tell me about it. :3 I won't bite, I promise. And thank you to my reviewers from last chapter! I love you all! **


	9. Annie: Devil in girl's clothing

**I'm so sorry this took so long. I started Band Camp a couple of weeks ago, so most of my time has been spent marching and playing my flute. The rest of my time was spent reading Manga. -Cough- Ahem...yeah. Please don't hit me! D: Anyways, the base idea of this chapter was given to me by one of my friends on Quizilla once again. Only, this time it was given to me by the amazing StunningEyesBlind! She's been so helpful and generous toward me and this story, and I can't thank her enough! Now then, back to the story. :3 We're back to Claire-Vision, sorry. But I can promise more Gray-Vision in the future! Enjoy!**

"Never mind...it's nothing." Gray laughed weakly, setting me down on the ground and turning himself away from me.

_**Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.**_

I lifted my hand up and placed it over my heart, hoping it would slow down before it exploded. My breath was still caught in my throat and my mouth was alarmingly dry. To tell you the truth, I felt like I was dying. From what, you ask? Shock. Complete and utter shock.

I started inching toward the back of the closet not taking my eyes off of Gray's back. What little light we had in the closet was starting to fade as I inched backward. As I was just about to stop moving, I tripped on an object on the floor and fell on my tailbone, yelping in surprise at the shock sent up my spine.

"C-Claire! Are you okay?" Gray's voice echoed in the closet as he turned around.

"I'm okay...I just tripped on something." I sat up, looking through the darkness.

I felt strong arms wrap around me, and pull me close to them. Wait; am I back on Gray's lap? Damn; am I the luckiest girl in the world, or what? I just wish my tailbone didn't hurt so Goddess damn much!

"Don't scare me like that..." His breath was hot on the back of my neck and it sent shivers down my spine.

"I'm sorry." My apology was muffled into Gray's chest as I turned around to try to look at him.

The blacksmith just held me close, not giving me a chance to look up at his face. I allowed my arms to wrap around his waist and nuzzled his chest with my nose. Who knows when I'd get another opportunity like this one?

"Hey, Claire...?" Gray's voice came out sounding timid and probably an octave higher than he'd wanted. I felt him turn his head away from me and try to clear his throat.

I love you, too! Wait, what? Shut up, voice in my head! "Um, yes, Gray?" Damn, I sound so hopeful.

I heard him take a breath, about to say something, but them it seemed like he changed his mind at the last second, "I think we're going to be stuck in this closet all night...So, uh, we should decide how we're going to sleep..."

Damn it all! Why'd you get my hopes up like that, Gray?! You were supposed to be all romantic and sweep me off my feet telling me how much you love me! Oh, screw it... "Oh. Well, the ground is really hard, and I know you have work tomorrow, so you should have all of the pillows. I'll just use a couple of blankets." I, regrettably, slid myself out of Gray's strong arms and got off of his lap to find the pillows and blankets.

"No, Claire. You're the guest here, so _you_ should be the one to sleep comfortably." I felt my face heat up at how strongly he enforced that I should be comfortable.

I counted the pillows and blankets and felt my heart skip a beat. "Well, there are only enough pillows for one of us to sleep comfortably...that is," I gulped, "Unless we can find a way to...uh, share them." My lips slightly curled up as I hear Gray squeak. "We don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable. I was just suggesting that we should both be able to sleep comfortably."

Hold on! Before we go any further, let me explain that I am not being a pervert! Okay, so I pretty much just suggested that we sleep together. As in, SLEEP. Not, "sleep". Don't get me wrong, I'm a twenty-some year old gal, and I'd probably jump Gray before he could even blink, but that doesn't mean I'd do it now, in this freaking closet. Especially since I know little Annie is probably outside of that door right now, waiting for the opportune moment to jump in with a video camera or something. Anyways, disregard everything you've just heard, and we'll get back to the closet. Geez...

I turned around and looked in Gray's general direction, awaiting a response. Hopefully it would be the one I was looking for.

"How early do you wake up?" I twitched at Gray's odd question.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

He sighed, "You know what, never mind." He took in a breath, "Okay, let's both be comfortable."

I did my best to hold in my squeals of excitement as I took the pillows off of the shelves. Ha! Take that, Annie! I did it all by myself! Well, okay, technically you were the one who locked us in the closet, but I used the words!

"Shoot! I can't reach the blankets." I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows at the blankets.

"I'll get them." I felt Gray walk up behind me and reach over my head to get the blankets. Oh, Goddess does he smell good...uh, I mean, never mind. "Here you go." He placed the blankets in my arms.

"Oh, thank you." I took the blankets and placed them over the pillows. "It may not be the best bed, but it's all we've got." I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed. "We can sleep back-to-back, too, if it makes it more comfortable for you."

He didn't answer me, so I assumed he nodded or something like that. I shrugged and situated myself on the makeshift bed. I felt Gray lay down on the other side of me, and I could feel his body-heat on my back.

"Good night, Gray." Aw, crap, my voice sounded so high pitched. My face heated up and I moved my arms up to cover my eyes. How embarrassing!

"Good night....Claire." Hearing Gray's surprisingly deep voice made my face heat up even more, if that was possible.

I mentally shook my head and closed my eyes, willing myself to fall asleep soon. Being awake was just too awkward for me right now. I kept having a feeling that someone was watching me, but I shrugged it off, figuring it was just my imagination playing tricks on me in the dark.

It took me a while, but eventually I lost consciousness and fell asleep. I didn't dream this time, all I saw was bright white lights from behind my eyelids. That couldn't mean anything, right?

"This is just too good to pass up!" I heard a familiar voice whisper. I could also faintly hear giggling and clicking noises in the background. What the hell could that mean?

"Wake up, sleepy heads!" Ann's voice echoed through the closet.

"Fie mo hrs, Annie..." I slurred, never being an early riser. Then, it hit me; Annie?! Damn it! My eyes practically bulged open and I tried to get up, but found I couldn't move. "What the hell...?"

"I didn't know you were that kind of girl, Clarisse." Ann gave me a Cheshire grin, nodding her head to my left.

I turned my head and held in a scream. "What the hell?!" I whisper yelled. There was Gray, both of his arms wrapped around my stomach and his face inches away from mine.

It was then I noticed a certain rectangular object in the hands of our dear Annie. She had a freaking camera!

"I'm going to kill you!" I finally shouted, my face bright red as I wriggled out of Gray's grasp and ran after Ann. "Get back here, you devil in girl's clothing!" Damn it all! Why me, Goddess? Why?!

**Ta daaa! Well, yeah, that's how I'm ending this super late, and short, chapter. I'm really sorry it's so late! I'm also sorry to say, the rest of the chapters might take this long too. I'm starting school soon, and I still have Marching Band practice on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Saturdays! But, I haven't given up on this story! I will finish it eventually! Another great big thank you to my reviewers, and StunningEyesBlind for everything you've done! Thanks, everyone!**


End file.
